The Country Club
The Country Club is the oldest country club in the US and is also one of the founding members of the USGA. Located in Brookline, Massachusetts, the club has two golf courses of which the Main Course is famous.
History of the course
The Country Club was founded in 1882 and is among the first 100 clubs in the US . Though it was formed in 1882, golf was not played here till 1893. In March that year, six holes were laid by club members. Scot Willie Campbell extended the course to nine holes by the end of the year and finally to 18 holes by 1899.
The Main Course has wide fairways and small greens. The water hazards come into play at two holes and there are also a large number of sand bunkers. Besides this course, the club also has a nine-hole course called Primrose Course. Nowadays when any big championship is played here a set of 18 holes are chosen from these two courses and this composite course is called the Open Course.
Course Trivia
- The Country Club has hosted the US Open on three occasions.
- The club also hosted the 199 Ryder Cup, which was marred with controversy. With the scores tied, Justin Leonard putted a 45-foot shot on the 17 th hole. The American players erupted in joy forgetting that Europe's Jose Maria Olazabal was yet to complete his shot. After order was restored, Olazabal missed his shot and the US won the Ryder Cup. This incident sparked off a controversy with the European players complaining of unsportsmanship behavior from their counterparts.
